Unauthorised Cockpit Entry: DGCA Asks Airlines To Strictly Follow Rules

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Aviation safety watchdog DGCA on Friday asked airlines to strictly follow rules as well as sensitise pilots and cabin crew to prevent incidents of unauthorised entry of people into the cockpit. The regulator has also warned that any non-compliance with the applicable regulation dealing with unauthorized cockpit entry shall be dealt with strictly and may also invite stringent enforcement action. The DGCA move comes against the backdrop of two recent incidents where unauthorised people were allowed inside the cockpit during scheduled flights.

In an advisory, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the heads of operations of all scheduled airlines to "prevent any unauthorised entry in the cockpit through appropriate means." As per DGCA safety norms, unauthorised people are not allowed to enter the cockpit, and any such entry could violate norms. “Instances of unauthorised entry into the aircraft cockpit have been reported to DGCA in the recent past, wherein persons having no authority or purpose, were permitted entry into the cockpit,” the regulator said in the advisory.

According to DGCA, “such an unauthorized presence in the cockpit is likely to distract the attention of cockpit crew from their sensitive functions and can lead to errors which may jeopardize the safety of the aircraft operations.” It may be mentioned here that on June 3, the Pilot-in-Command of an Air India flight operating on Chandigarh -Leh route, allowed an unauthorized person into the cockpit during departure and the person remained in the cockpit throughout the flight.

Prior to this, in a similar incident, on February 27, the pilot of the Tata Group-owned Air India allowed a female friend into the cockpit during a Delhi-Dubai flight. DGCA slapped a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for lapses in effectively addressing the "safety-sensitive issue" related to the incident of Delhi-Dubai flight. It also suspended the licence of the pilot who operated the flight for three months but let off the co-pilot with a warning.

However, in the other incident (Chandigarh-Leh flight), the safety regulator suspended the flying licence of the Pilot-in-Command for one year and that of the First Officer for one month. The persons authorized for entry into the cockpit and to occupy the jump seat have been specified in the Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 17 of 2019, DGCA said in its advisory on Friday.

“All the heads of operations are hereby advised to sensitize their pilots and cabin crew members to strictly follow the AIC and prevent any unauthorized entry in the cockpit through appropriate means,” DGCA said.